My Mother's Recipes (Pt. 3)

This recipe is part of a series of my late mother's amazing collection.

These recipes were never written down—rather passed down from my nanna to my mother, then consequently to my older sisters, and eventually, to me. I learned by standing in the kitchen and watching her work. When I was really little, I would be hoisted up onto the counter top by one of my big brothers and I would wait patiently for the bowls to lick. When I grew a bit, I'd stand on tiptoes and watch, wide-eyed, as my mother turned out cakes and pies and other culinary wonders. Sometimes she even let me "varnish" the pies.

My mother would make this as part of our tea on Sunday. She'd also make a minced beef and gravy and corned beef and potato pie, a steak and mushroom pie, sausage rolls, home made bread and jam, fruit pie—either apple or apple and blackberry (if we'd been foraging for blackberries), several cakes—chocolate, Victoria sponge and fresh cream eclairs. If we were really lucky we would also be treated to her delicious melt-in-the-mouth Viennese tartlets—dotted with fresh raspberry jam and dusted in icing 'snow.'

Other favourites of my family included crisp, flaky lightly spiced Eccles cakes—not a cake as such, but buttery puff pastry rounds, stuffed with spiced fruits and sprinkled with caramelised brown sugar. My brother's favourite was her squidgy custard tart—crisp shortcrust pastry baked with a rich egg custard and dusted with fragrant nutmeg.

We'd also have sandwiches—usually egg and tomato (or mayonnaise), canned red salmon with a little bit of vinegar and white pepper, boiled ham or cold cuts left over from the Sunday lunch. Oh yes! This was all served following a full Sunday roast at lunchtime!

And everything would be served in the formal dining room, with the table laid with the best linen, and nanna's best crockery taken down from the cabinet. The kettle would be ceremoniously boiled, and several cups of tea would accompany the feast.

Afterwards, everyone got a doggy bag of cakes and pies—to serve as suppers and afternoon tea throughout the week.

This quiche uses bought pastry again. I don't recall my mother ever making pastry for her pies and quiches. With so much to do on a Sunday, I really don't judge her for relying on pantry short cuts.

You can make this quiche with canned meat, as my mother did, or substitute it for any boiled gammon or ham you may have to use up. If you use bacon or lardons, it will, of course, become Quiche Lorraine.

The cheese can also be substituted for whatever type you have to hand—a sharp Cheddar would work just as well.

If you don't have baking beans you can use a large quantity of pennies (like my mother did), dried peas and beans, rice or small pasta shapes.

(Recipes quantities are reproduced in imperial weights, just as the originals, but I have provided metric equivalents. Both work equally well, but please use either imperial or metric throughout.)

Ingredients

• 1 pack ready rolled short crust pastry
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium tin chopped ham and pork or Luncheon Meat
• 6 ounces (150 grams) Red Leicester cheese, grated
• 6 large free range eggs
• 4 fluid ounces (110 mls) single cream
• 2 firm ripe tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan) or equivalent.
2. Grease a large quiche dish or large glass casserole dish lid (as my mother sometimes did) and line with the short crust pastry. Prick all over with a fork. Top with a sheet of foil or baking paper and fill with baking beans.
3. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove beans and paper and bake for 5 minutes more.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
5. Meanwhile, fry the onion in the mix of butter and oil till transclucent and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
6. Chop the ham into 1/2 inch cubes and scatter evenly over the pastry case. Add the onions. Beat the eggs with the cream and plenty of pepper. Be less generous with the salt as the ham can be salty. Add half the cheese. Pour this eggy mixture over the ham in the case. Bang the tin on the work top to distribute the mix evenly, then bake on a lower shelf for 15 mins, or until just beginning to set.
7. Slice the tomatoes thinly and top the Quiche with these slices. Return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes, till set and cooked through.
8. Remove from the oven and immediately top with the remaining cheese.

This is lovely served warm with some chutney and salad, or cold as part of a picnic or buffet.

Freezes well (after baking).